There are new NBA rumors popping up daily about which All-Star might go to a new team. Now, Minnesota Timberwolves star Jimmy Butler is added to the list. The NBA All-Star recently made an interesting social media post which has people talking. Could Butler be looking toward the San Antonio Spurs as his next stop in the league? If that's the case, Gregg Popovich may be ready to take on a new superstar since another one wants out.

Butler's Instagram post

The NESN website brought attention to the latest Instagram post by Jimmy Butler. In the post, he gives a shout-out to fellow NBA star Pau Gasol, who has been on the San Antonio Spurs' roster.

The post was made with Girona, Spain as the location, with Butler thanking Gasol for the invite.

On its own, the Instagram post seems harmless. However, NESN noted that two different comments left on the photo suggested that Butler should join the San Antonio Spurs. Butler reportedly "Liked" both of the comments, which sparked speculation about him being interested in playing there.

One comment said, "Come to the spurs @jimmybutler please." Another commenter said, "You can play with Gasol in San Antonio under one of the best coaches to live...Coach Pop."

Of course, along with those two comments are a slew of other comments from fans encouraging Jimmy Butler to join their particular team, including fans of the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Sixers, and the New York Knicks.

Jimmy Butler's situation

There are reports that Butler is unhappy with his situation in Minnesota, mostly due to a poor relationship with Karl-Anthony Towns. While Butler has a contract with the Timberwolves, he can decline the player option at the end of this season to become a free agent. His arrival in Minnesota helped the team qualify for the NBA Playoffs, but they just barely secured the eighth and final spot in the West.

Butler suffered a right knee injury just after last season's All-Star break and was out for well over a month after meniscus surgery. However, he and his team ended up facing the No. 1 seed Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. They won just one game in the series.

There have been reports that he wants to team up with Kyrie Irving, who is currently a member of the Boston Celtics. Irving is due to become a free agent at the same time as Butler, which could lead to the duo teaming up somewhere together. One of the Instagram post's comments recommended that Butler join Irving with the Celtics. Danny Ainge would probably love that. Another comment suggested that Butler and Irving should head to the Knicks to team up with Kristaps Porzingis.

The two players may not do too bad if they decide to join forces and head to San Antonio. If LaMarcus Aldridge is still there, they'd be part of a winning tradition under coach Gregg Popovich.

It would also continue to maintain the balance of power in the Western Conference. However, one has to think that if Butler joins the Lakers, Celtics, or Sixers, he would make those teams contenders, given that they already have stars on those rosters.

An easy NBA trade?

There's also the interesting scenario suggested at Dunking With Wolves. Since these two players have "near identical career per stats," why not simply do a clean swap? That would bring Jimmy Butler to San Antonio and send Kawhi Leonard in a trade to Minnesota. However, the two players would still be able to become free agents once the season officially ends, giving them the ability to sign wherever they want.

As some fans have pointed out on Twitter, the recent Instagram activity that Jimmy Butler engaged in may have included him clicking "Like" on a lot of the comments on his shout-out post to Gasol.

That could indicate that he does want to play somewhere else, or that he just wants to have some fun trolling.

That said, the NBA rumors surrounding Jimmy Butler and Kawhi Leonard have persisted for quite a while now. It will be interesting to see where these two All-Stars end up in the future.
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